As an Ironman, photographer and veteran Iron-spectator, I thought I would share some photos and thoughts on the new Ironman MontTremblant experience. Every race brings it’s own certain flair and this one pleased. Hopefully these photos will have you considering some French lessons and a trip to Canada next year for this new and exciting Ironman. Here are ten reasons to head up to Quebec for this event.

1. The organization of this event was flawless. Everything was accounted for. The organizer, who is pictured here, seemed calm, cool and collected on race day. He was able to enjoy race day because he delegated well and his team seemed determined to make this race unforgettable. The volunteer Iron crew was huge, 4000 strong ensuring each athlete had everything needed for a successful race.

2. Athletes felt secure on the road here as the locals enthusiastically waited for race day. The roads were impeccable and newly paved. I even saw town officials out the evening before the event cleaning the already clean roads. It seems that every store that I entered in St. Jovite had an employee that had volunteered for race day. Ironman signage was everywhere, making athletes feel welcome and locals feel involved and important.

3. It seems that Ironman Mont-tremblant is determined to be billed as family friendly and generally more fun than other races. The venue of Mont-Tremblant is a good place for families because of its Disneyesque charm, without the annoyingness of Disney. It’s affordable here and you have lots of lodging options. Outside the pricer village hotel area, there are lots of condos around the lake area (that’s what we did). Up in the village, they had a fantastic concert led by a band whose leader was able to inspire even the tightest Type A pre-race triathletes to shake their tail feathers even if just for a few minutes. They followed it up with some really cool fireworks that made the athletes feel kinda special. The fireworks were a great display of color before the athletes had an opportunity to display their own on race-day.

4. Lac Tremblant is crystal clear, warm considering how north it is and wet suit legal. The start of the Ironman was a bit difficult to spectate because of lack of real estate, but the athletes had a nice wide beach to start their adventure from.

5. The bike: The road Chemin Du Plessis, the hilly portion, made you feel like a kid on a roller coaster. I had fun riding it with my son and I can only imagine how much fun it was on race day. Then came the highway 117 and Montee Ryan where the pavement is pristine and like glass with wide shoulders and lots of wiggle room. There should have been no excuse for drafting on this course. ( But I still saw lots of it going on anyway)

6. Let me first apologize to my daughter’s school principal that I once told that we would never need to speak French. I was wrong. While almost everyone in Quebec probably speaks English, French is preferred.This part of Canada doesn’t feel very Canadian. If you want to have a European vacation without the cost, this is your next best thing. Try the Poutine, it looks a bit gross (in my humble opinion)but taste good. At the athlete feeding area, this is the way a Quebecois would deal with salt and fat replenishment after a long day of racing.

7.People aren’t afraid to wear speedos here. At least the one guy in this picture. But despite the guy in the speedo(who's probably faster than you), the athletes here seemed to be cut of from a better cloth. Maybe the course was fast, but the quality of athlete was apparent.

8.You’ll pay up for meals here, but take a trip down to the supermarket in St. Jovite for a fun cultural and label reading experience. Don’t look for bagels here, go for the croissants instead. The little restaurants in town made me feel like I was in Paris.

9. There were tons of spectators that showed enthusiasm like no other; so many that it was a quiet reprieve on the bike trail during the run. Maybe the Canadians are so good at spectating because of their national obsession with hockey. Either way, it took the athletes away from their pain and helped carry them home.

10. The run course was deceptively hard, but not a killer. It was a perfect mix of soft surface bike trail that was totally flat (making it easy on tired legs) combined with a winding hilly section of roads to keep it interesting. The people in Old Mont-Tremblant came out in huge numbers to cheer on the runners. At the end of the day, athletes ran down into the cobble-stoned ski village to finish under a nice finish arch under the clock-tower.

Congrats to Chris on his 16th Ironman!

There are far more photos than I can put up on my blog. Go to facebook to see them all!Click here! Please dont copy and paste without credit or permission.

Great review. Thanks for it.
*The French frie, cheese and gravy concoction is spelled: Poutine*

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Jen Schulten

8/20/2012 10:00:04 pm

Will fix...thank you!

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Arend teRaa

8/21/2012 07:04:08 am

I'm guessing you took many many more pictures during the day..... do you plan on publishing more of them?

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Jen

8/21/2012 07:38:21 am

You can see sOme of them on facebOok from the link at the bottom of the blog, I do have some more ill try to put up on my website. Thanks for looking.

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Sean

8/22/2012 03:43:59 am

Nice photos etc., but some here believe that Quebec really is PART of what Canada feels like. Kind of weird to see it described as you describe it. It is, however, different than much of English Canada.

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Jen

8/22/2012 06:57:43 am

Hi Sean. No insult suggested. I realize that Quebec is an important part of Canada, especially for its unique heritage. Our first and honest feeling especially after spending a day or two was that we didnt feel like we were in Canada at all. I used to row at Canadian Henley in Ontario and the area had a distinctly Canadian feel to it. The Roots store and the national Anthem during the race reminded me of where I was. Both my husband and I decided that next year we need to make a true effort to try to pick up some french. Thanks for your input. Cheers. J

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charlotte johnson

8/22/2012 06:19:59 am

thanks so much! my husband and i did the race (my 8th im) and we brought our whole family. we had the same experience you did and will be back next year:) thanks so much for doing this!

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Jen

8/22/2012 07:01:55 am

Thanks Charlotte
I am happy you had a great time. We look forward to taking the journey north again next year from Connecticut. We'll be happy to be sharing the roads with you once again. Best regards. J